JD and Brittany Lott- American Family Road Trip

[TrueRebel1]

For what it's worth, as I haven't seen it mentioned yet:

 

The day the Bus Fam posted about touring Sailboat Fam's boat (May 6th), I distinctly remember a redditor commenting in at least 2 places that they had filed a CPS report. That they recognized the place the Lotts were parked and reported that detail. Their comments were quickly deleted, as I recall. 

 

Who knows if the redditor was telling the truth, and that if they did really report, if CPS turned it into an investigation. But I am pretty confident that if this WAS the source, the investigation wouldn't have started prior to May 6th. 

[justpassingthru]

I thought they were in Georgia for the boat thing. 

[bea]

That “text” that they’re claiming they got, along with the email, does not sound legit. And now they’re trying to change the law, presumably to make it harder to get CPS to investigate transients living in an overcrowded bus with 8 kids.

[justpassingthru]

Back to normal, nothing to see here, certainly not a rant about CPS the last few days: 

[Bluebirdbluebell]

3 hours ago, bea said:

That “text” that they’re claiming they got, along with the email, does not sound legit. And now they’re trying to change the law, presumably to make it harder to get CPS to investigate transients living in an overcrowded bus with 8 kids.

Who is trying to change the law?

[Xan]

57 minutes ago, Bluebirdbluebell said:

Who is trying to change the law?

For one group, the Family Freedom Project in Texas.  Also, the Texas Public Policy Project and Let Grow are trying to get involved.

[FunFunFundie]

I’m more and more fascinated with them. They hinted that they are leaving the country, and somebody on Reddit saw them getting Boone a passport. And then tonight, another one of their “how do we afford it” posts, but with such weird advice, which boils down to:

1) spend your money on travel instead of other things

2) don’t go to college

3) buy bitcoin

#1 is their standard answer, but it doesn’t make sense, given all the money they spend on plane tickets, etc. They present their philosophy like they are living on $500 a month since they don’t have a mortgage, but they spend SO MUCH.

#2. But they did go to college? I think this is their way of saying they aren’t sending their kids to college? So “save money by not helping your kids out,” I guess? 

#3. I’m leaning into the theory that he has a trust fund and they put it into bitcoin and made a lot of money but now they are holding on and then what? Because the money won’t continue to skyrocket, even if bitcoin holds steady. 

She lets such weird things through the information filter. It always feels like the prestage to an MLM pitch.

[hoipolloi]

3 hours ago, FunFunFundie said:

#3. I’m leaning into the theory that he has a trust fund and they put it into bitcoin and made a lot of money but now they are holding on and then what? Because the money won’t continue to skyrocket, even if bitcoin holds steady. 

Can't find it now but someone on Reddit did a deep dive into the Lotts & IIRC JD is from a wealthy family & has a trust fund of some kind. He may also be estranged from his family. In any case, they are grifters & scammers who share many of the same delusions. I am just sorry that their kids are stuck in this crazy. They deserve so much better.

[FunFunFundie]

7 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

Can't find it now but someone on Reddit did a deep dive into the Lotts & IIRC JD is from a wealthy family & has a trust fund of some kind. He may also be estranged from his family. In any case, they are grifters & scammers who share many of the same delusions. I am just sorry that their kids are stuck in this crazy. They deserve so much better.

I had stayed away from Reddit but recently jumped in to learn more, and I didn’t realize just how up and down things were before the current bus (I only started following maybe 18 months ago). It really feels like JD has manic episodes and Britney leans into them and is like “yes this is the best idea I’ve ever heard, let’s teach people how they can do it.” If that’s the case, it makes me feel a little bit sorry for her (although not a lot, because her job is to protect her kids, obvs).
 

A friend of mine has a husband who had what looked to me like a textbook manic break - he quit his job, was doing yoga naked in their front yard at sunrise, stopped sleeping, etc. - and rather than face it, she leaned in and held on tight, talking about how God was working through him. I think she felt like her choice was to be a yes-man or else blow up their family, and it was awful to watch. He’s stabilized now, but I can feel empathy for her - and for Britney, if that’s what’s going on.

And it feels like it is - when Britney says things like “when you love somebody, you learn about their passions, so I’m learning about Bitcoin!” And “we are going to Brazil, it’s the most beautiful country ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

It just feels like he’s mentally ill and she’s decided that he’s actually being led by God and her job is to never question it.

Again, this doesn’t justify anything. But I can feel a bit of empathy for her. She has said they are both from “broken homes.” She may just be trying to be an “intact family,” and if he’s constantly going off the rails, she might see leaning in as her only option to do so.

[justpassingthru]

32 minutes ago, FunFunFundie said:

It just feels like he’s mentally ill and she’s decided that he’s actually being led by God and her job is to never question it.

His Noah's Ark was the bus. So. You might be on to something 

Also, she makes me nervous when she does this

Please note she is still wearing the same things she was wearing during their four part rant.

JD changed shirts but hers remained the same

Edit: on second thought, I don't think that's the knit shirt she was wearing in the videos

Edited July 29 by justpassingthru

[Alisamer]

On 7/26/2024 at 8:15 PM, justpassingthru said:

So another page shared the Lott's story and this is a comment on that post. People believe "Fundy Snark" is a person. There are at least a couple other comments that refer to the sub as a person

 

People be dumb.

Like I get it on a surface level, their life looks kind of fun... minus the zillion kids for most people, but fun - who wouldn't want to not have to work, be able to travel anywhere they want to go at a moment's notice, and see so much of the world?

But any actual looking into them raises concerns. They're trying to tell people how to live like them, without mentioning the key part that he seems to have a large trust fund. Just like Lori Alexander being all "trust and obey God and it'll be great!" without mentioning that when she was young like her followers she did the opposite of what she's telling them, and forgetting that not everyone has a husband pulling in quite good money like she does. Their kids are sharing tiny RV bunks. They didn't notice one of their kids couldn't see well until randos on the internet pointed it out. No one seems to be getting regular consistent well check ups with doctors. When they get a CPS call, instead of dealing with it they go into attack mode. They never mention God unless they find it convenient to excuse doing something potentially reckless (or at least not well planned) or when they want to claim religious persecution.

What gets me is people like whoever that second poster there is - essentially threating who they think is a person on behalf of a family they've never met and really don't know at all, with no looking deeper than the surface.

[justpassingthru]

I enjoy traveling but there is something to be said about going home and unwinding in your own bed and home. They don't get that enjoyment. 

If they were stationary, they'd have to be active parents.

[Howl]

I can't even imagine the logistics of feeding this crew on the road. Or potty training on the road. Or homeschooling...

There are few things that send me into a rage.  Not like throwing things or punching walls.  More like, That is SO annoying, grrrrrrrr. 

So, people who are well educated (college degree and beyond) who decide not to bother educating their kids or they "homeschool" their kids, but not really. It can be devastating to those kids as they enter the world of adulting, trying to support themselves and their future families with zip education and no practical skills. 

Rant off! 

Edited July 29 by Howl

[justpassingthru]

The audacity of them to use the phrase "the level of trauma" over a sandwich after saying how traumatized their kids were over a CPS visit. 

So I'm guessing JD and Brittney have met their quota for an ad for that company and have moved on. 🙄

[nellautumngirl]

On 7/25/2024 at 8:08 PM, JermajestyDuggar said:

I think JD is supposed to be related to George Lott. Maybe an uncle? Unsure. Someone else can probably give more specific info on how they are related:

 

https://murderpedia.org/male.L/l1/lott-george-douglas.htm

Someone on Reddit did a deepdive, per them this is his uncle. His grandma was the one who set up the trust funds.

[Giraffe]

3 hours ago, justpassingthru said:

The audacity of them to use the phrase "the level of trauma" over a sandwich after saying how traumatized their kids were over a CPS visit. 

So I'm guessing JD and Brittney have met their quota for an ad for that company and have moved on. 🙄

"This level of trauma is difficult to deal with"

That's an interesting way of describing a "stolen" sandwich when you've dealt woth cps. I'm sure they felt some amount of trauma over dealing with cps. Maybe I'm too callus towards them but using "this level of trauma" to describe one sibling taking anlther sibling's sandwich makes me question any accuracy to their cps story. 

[Alisamer]

3 hours ago, justpassingthru said:

The audacity of them to use the phrase "the level of trauma" over a sandwich after saying how traumatized their kids were over a CPS visit. 

So I'm guessing JD and Brittney have met their quota for an ad for that company and have moved on. 🙄

Is this supposed to be some sort of metaphor?

Also LOL do her kids not know how to yell "saved!" when they get up? It's usually to save your spot in front of the TV but applies to other things as well. I guess if you're crammed in like sardines though there's no need to "save" spots, it's a free-for-all. If kids are stealing each others sandwiches, then there needs to be more sandwiches. Made/provided by the parents, IMO.

I have younger siblings and yeah it's great, and yeah I did find that personally my sisters and I turned out better at handling challenges (and prioritizing them) than some friends we've had who were only kids (or effectively only, with older sibling a teen when they were born). But that's not 100% true, my dad is an only child but grew up well adjusted and capable just like anyone else - I think it depends more on parenting than whether there are siblings or not. It's just easier with siblings, I think.

Also does she not notice the research indicates "a sibling"? It means one or two, maybe three. Not a zillion that you then become defacto parent to.

[Caroline]

9 hours ago, Alisamer said:

Is this supposed to be some sort of metaphor?

Also LOL do her kids not know how to yell "saved!" when they get up? It's usually to save your spot in front of the TV but applies to other things as well. I guess if you're crammed in like sardines though there's no need to "save" spots, it's a free-for-all. If kids are stealing each others sandwiches, then there needs to be more sandwiches. Made/provided by the parents, IMO.

I have younger siblings and yeah it's great, and yeah I did find that personally my sisters and I turned out better at handling challenges (and prioritizing them) than some friends we've had who were only kids (or effectively only, with older sibling a teen when they were born). But that's not 100% true, my dad is an only child but grew up well adjusted and capable just like anyone else - I think it depends more on parenting than whether there are siblings or not. It's just easier with siblings, I think.

Also does she not notice the research indicates "a sibling"? It means one or two, maybe three. Not a zillion that you then become defacto parent to.

My husband grew up with seven siblings and I grew up with three. We chose to just have one child and have zero regrets. Our daughter is in her mid- 20's now and the most selfless and stable person of all the young people of that age that I know. I've asked the obvious question over the years about whether she regretted not having siblings. Every time she has said no. I usually respond with something like: you don't always get the right siblings anyway. I have so many friends who seemed to have a closeness growing up and no longer do for lots of different reasons. I get along with all of my siblings, but am really only close to one. So much is dependent on personality as well. I would have lost my mind in a large family. I hate noise and confusion and a messy house, which I assume is what you get with that many kids stealing sandwiches, etc.

My daughter was always the most mature in her friend group and the one who could have a very intelligent conversation with any one of any age. She's still the designated driver in any group because she's the least likely to drink too much and take stupid chances and the most likely to be looking out for the welfare of her girl friends. I hate that myth about how only children can't share and are self-centered. I was much more territorial as a child because of having to share with all the siblings and I've known families of two or three where all of the kids were spoiled. It does come down to parenting more than anything as you said. 

[Giraffe]

I'm not close with any of my siblings as an adult. These families that insist their children are each other's bff's live in a land of make believe. It's such a crapshoot. Sure maybe they'll be close to one or two of them but I don't doubt there will be that one that none of the siblings get along with and others who are like me. I don't have anything against my siblings but I don't have much in common with them, either. Sharing a family of origin isn't a magic closeness tonic. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

Plus I would argue it can become traumatizing when a sibling marries. Look at the Boyer sisters. Jessica was very depressed when her sister married and she was dumped. She was left at home without her best friend and was dealing with a break up. Then there are the Bontragers. Allison was obviously very depressed when her best friend got married and moved far away. And her boyfriends (brothers) got married and stopped dating her. The Bontragers are obsessed with being best friends but I bet you Allison and Chelsy are nowhere near as close as they used to be. Because they were forced to be close in the past and now they have their own lives, families, and interests. The worst might be the sisters moms leaving to get married and the children they’ve raised are traumatized by their leaving. These fundies think isolation and enmeshment are good for their kids, 

[justpassingthru]

We can look at Jill and her sisters. There's four daughters and there's relative close distance but yet they are never together outside of holidays.

David doesn't seem close to his siblings either. 

Fundies are delusional for thinking their kids will be BFF's

[hoipolloi]

40 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

The worst might be the sisters moms leaving to get married and the children they’ve raised are traumatized by their leaving.

Sort of like Meredith Alexander Hammer. She pretty much raised her younger sister Sheridan who was 4 or 5 at the time of Meredith's marriage. 

[MariaariaM]

I have three siblings and they're all amazing (though none of them ever stole food from me - wtf???) but if they were my only friends? My life would be less rich than it is. People from outside bring new thoughts, new ideas, new experiences. Those things grow your brain! Of course that's probably why they want to avoid it.

Also: these people have a daughter. Is she the perfect little robot so she doesn't take food or is she expected to eat very little because she's a girl, even though she's as much of a growing kid as her siblings? 

[Alisamer]

13 hours ago, Caroline said:

I hate that myth about how only children can't share and are self-centered. I was much more territorial as a child because of having to share with all the siblings and I've known families of two or three where all of the kids were spoiled. It does come down to parenting more than anything as you said. 

Yeah for sure it is so much about parenting and the situation. Both the onlies I know who weren't very good at life also happened to have either crazy overprotective parents or somewhat indifferent ones, AND neither of them went away to college, instead living at home until married and then living together - the woman in particular (with the super overprotective mom) has never not had a caretaker, she went from mom to husband to new fiance (without breaking up with husband 1 first). They never really did anything without parents there, for more than like school type hours. No scouting trips or sleepovers or even having to entertain themselves while parents were dealing with a sibling.

Both of them mentioned they admired my, and my sisters', independence. Apparently living in the world as a single person takes some... guts? Strength? Something, in their minds. They'd just never had that experience... having younger siblings there were times I did stuff by myself because my sisters couldn't go, and there was always cooperation and sharing and arguments and figuring things out. So a combo of independence and living in a group.

The first time I traveled with them for a weekend away both called their moms the minute we got in the hotel room and spoke to them a few times through the weekend. They asked if I wasn't going to call my parents and I said no - my parents and sisters were on a trip elsewhere! And it was pre-cell-phone so no constant contact that way. I'd been living 3 hours away at college for a year at that point!

21 minutes ago, justpassingthru said:

We can look at Jill and her sisters. There's four daughters and there's relative close distance but yet they are never together outside of holidays.

David doesn't seem close to his siblings either. 

Fundies are delusional for thinking their kids will be BFF's

Yeah it's NICE to have good relationships with siblings, but it's really rarely BFF status, IMO. Like, I see my sisters often and talk to them, and we travel together relatively often even. But if you asked me to list off my "besties" it'd be my doll collecting friends probably that'd come up first. And then if you asked "what about your siblings?" I'd say "Oh, yeah, them too I guess." 

Siblings are just there, you know? Not best friends, they're siblings. It's different. Like when someone says their mom is their best friend it's a little odd IMO - like yes, you have a good relationship, but it's never really like a best friend relationship, you know? It can be very close, it can be friendly, but there's a baked-in difference there since it's parent/child. 

I think fundies are attempting to keep their kids close to each other and insular so easier to manage influences, but that's not what I think is best for most kids. Kids need friends outside the family, experiences in situations not managed by mommy and daddy, and the ability to grow and learn independently. Fundies want a bunch of believe-alike clones with the bonus of the older ones parenting the younger ones, it seems like.

[justpassingthru]

4 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

Yeah for sure it is so much about parenting and the situation. Both the onlies I know who weren't very good at life also happened to have either crazy overprotective parents or somewhat indifferent ones, AND neither of them went away to college, instead living at home until married and then living together - the woman in particular (with the super overprotective mom) has never not had a caretaker, she went from mom to husband to new fiance (without breaking up with husband 1 first). They never really did anything without parents there, for more than like school type hours. No scouting trips or sleepovers or even having to entertain themselves while parents were dealing with a sibling.

This is giving Haley Bowers. Parents->Husband, no independence, whose goal is to build a house on her parents property

6 minutes ago, Alisamer said:

Like when someone says their mom is their best friend it's a little odd IMO

I never understood this either. My mom and I had our issues and I'm her guardian now, but never would I consider her a best friend. I don't want a relative to be my bestie. I know people say their spouse is their best friend but even my spouse isn't bestie status. He's different, much like my relationship with parents and siblings. It's different for ways I can't explain. 

I will say my mom still asks me to call when I arrive to a destination when I travel, so I humor her and do so. She has issues with worrying so if it brings her peace, I'm for it. 

For fundies, the whole "my mom/my kids are my besties" feels very emotionally incesty